Red Deer city council has pencilled in up to $4.3 million into its capital budget over the next three years for an Indigenous Cultures Centre.
The centre concept has been around for a number of years and in 2023, council approved $250,000 over two years for community consultation and concept development. But work with the community did not get going until last November and given the financial pressure on the city's budgets the pre-approved funding was returned, largely unspent, to the city's Capital Projects Reserve with the understanding the money could be added back into the budget when needed.
City manager Tara Lodewyk told council on Tuesday that momentum has picked up and proponents of the centre have been making good progress on getting the project rolling.
Last November, the city and Red Deer Native Friendship Society hosted a community meeting that drew more than 70 people. Out of that, two dozen stepped forward to further discuss potential designs an initial Working Collaborative Meeting was held in February and members met again last week with city representatives, which led to a recommendation centre funding be returned to the capital budget.
The centre would support Indigenous culture, language and heritage while providing a space for healing, learning, sharing traditions and stories while reviving traditional cultural skills and promoting cross-cultural awareness. It would also provide a location for healing and celebration as part of the Indigenous community's reconciliation journey.
There are a number of Indigenous cultural centres in Alberta, including Paahtómahksikimi Cultural Centre in Watertown Park, Chiniki Cultural Centre in Morley and others in the Edmonton and Calgary areas. Centres can also be found in Saskatoon and Regina.
Red Deer Community Services general manager Sarah Tittemore said the 2025 funding would be used to keep the project on track.
"The momentum on this has absolutely picked up," Tittemore said. "There is a lot of commitment from community so we are movng as fast as that commitment is …"
The $250,000 could go towards creating concept designs and the $2 million to $4 million proposed for 2027 would provide funding for construction and land acquisition. All of the funding amounts are place holders and will be further reviewed by council and adjusted as necessary.
A number of councillors pointed out that the cultural centre has been a city commitment for a number of years.
Coun. Bruce Buruma said it would provide an opportunity to share Indigenous culture and continue the work towards reconciliation.
